


YDWK (title WIP)

by JiangJin



Category: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018)
Genre: F/F, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, Other, TMNT, tmnt fanfic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-08-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:20:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,699
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24791494
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JiangJin/pseuds/JiangJin
Summary: Essentially TMNT with cats instead of turtles.
Relationships: OC/OC
Kudos: 3





	1. Prologue

“Hello? Is anyone there? Can someone help me? Man, August, you’ve really gotten yourself into trouble now,” the girl moved forward, until her walking stick hit a wall. “Hm, the streets of NYC sure are quiet tonight, a little too quiet,” suddenly she heard some rustling and the sound of footsteps. “Finally,” she thought, “Hey! I’m sorry, could you help me find my way home, I seem to have gotten lost on the wrong side of town,” she approached the sound while waving the stranger down. 

“You’re not—frightened by me?” The stranger’s voice asked. He seemed surprised that she had heard him.

“No, why would I be?” August imagined she must have bumped into a tall gang member with a shaved head and tattoos and piercings all over his body. She didn’t judge by appearances though, how could she?

“Are you—“ she could sense him wave a hand in front of her face.

“Blind? Yeah, but don’t let that scare you. I’m pretty independent for a blind person,”

“So how’d you get lost on this side of town at this time of night?”

“Some jerks thought it would be funny to give me the wrong directions…. I also might have missed my stop, because I fell asleep on the bus. I’d call my parents, but I don’t know where I am and my battery is almost dead,” 

“Don’t you have a seeing eye dog or something?”

“No, my parents don’t like dogs,”

“I know how they feel,”

“What?”

“N-nothing! Where’s your home?”

“I live by 330 East 49th Street, you know where that is?”

“Y-yeah, I think I can help you,”

“Great, I’d really appreciate it,” August took a step forward, but because of the uneven ground, she almost tripped. Thankfully the stranger caught her. “Oh, thanks. That almost never happens. I must be having some pretty bad luck today,” she laughed as her hand brushed his arm. “Whoa, your coat is so soft, but you must be dying in this heat,”

He seemed to hesitate, but then changed his mind. “My coat’s pretty thin actually. Come on, let’s get going,” he allowed her to hold onto him, but he stayed quiet most of the walk.

August didn’t like the silence, so she tried to make small talk, “so tell me your name stranger,”  
He didn’t say anything for a moment and August thought he didn’t hear her so she began to ask again, but before she could, he said, “Gio, you can call me Gio.”

“Nice to meet you Gio, my name is August. No offense, but you sound kinda young, do you go to my school and we’ve just never met?”

“Ah, no. My siblings and I are homeschooled,”

“I’ve always wanted siblings. I’m an only child,”

“Yeah, well, siblings aren’t all they’re cracked up to be. They’re a little overrated if you ask me.”

“You sounded kind of shaken up back there, did something happen to you?”

“N-no, I just, got into a fight with one of my brothers is all,”

“I get that, I don’t always get along with my parents, even though I know they just want what’s best for me,” August rambled, although she could tell Gio was trying to get her home as fast as possible, without causing her to stumble over herself.

“Ok, we’re here,” Gio told her.

“Already? Wow, that was fast, I’m glad I wasn’t too far away!” She said as she found the right key and inserted it into the lock. Just as she opened the door and was about to enter she turned around and said, “Thanks again for all your help!” but was surprised when no one answered. “Hm, must have just walked off. Oh well,” she shrugged and entered her home.

What she didn’t know was that from a distance, Gio was watching to make sure she got inside safely.  
“Let’s go, Gio,” a new voice appeared, along with a pair of glowing green eyes that were a stark contrast to the darkness.

“Luke, what are you doing here?”

“I’m here to take you back home,”

“You told me to leave, remember?”

“Don’t be stubborn, now. Just come with me,”

Gio sighed, “Fine,”

As soon as they got home, Luke turned to Gio suddenly and glared at him. “What were you thinking, walking around with a human like that? What if she called the police?”

“She’s blind and she needed my help! What was I supposed to do, huh? Just ignore her?”

“She could have gotten you in trouble! People like her can’t find out creatures like us exist or it’ll cause panic and chaos!”

“Is that really what you believe or is it just because you’ve been watching too much tv?”

“Go to your room Gio. You’re not allowed to leave this house for a week,”

“You can’t do that!”

“Mom left me in charge while she’s gone, so yes I can,”

Gio grinded his teeth, but accepted his fate and left, making sure to slam his door for everyone to hear.

“Luke? Is Gio mad again?” A young voice appeared in the doorway.

“Everything’s fine, Tony, just go back to bed,” Luke cooed.

“You know he can’t sleep without a bedtime story,” an older girl told him.

“Lori, he has to outgrow this eventually,” Luke sighed, but grabbed a book anyway and led Tony back to his bed. “Once upon a time, four little kittens—”

“That’s us!” Tony shouted.

“Yes, it is,” Luke and Lori both smiled as Luke continued. “Four little kittens were adopted by a wise old owl and raised in the streets of New York City….”


	2. Introductions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Character introductions

“Gio, it’s time to wake up!” Lori said, knocking on his door.

Gio rolled over, “Today’s cancelled! I’m going back to bed,” he said as he pulled the covers over himself.

“Can he do that?” Tony whispered to Luke.

Luke: “Go easy on him, he was up late last night,” 

Lori: “So were you and you’re up early,”

Luke: “I’m the leader, I have to be up before everyone else,”

“Self-appointed leader,” Tony corrected.

Lori: “Yeah, you’re the only one here who thinks you’re the leader,”

Luke: “It only makes sense for me to be in charge while mom’s out,”

Lori: “Speaking of Mom, I think I hear her coming now,” 

A large barn owl flew in through the open window, “I’m back, my kittens. Did you miss me?”  
“Mom!” Tony practically leapt onto her as her wings enveloped him.

“I missed you too, my son,” she hugged him tightly then looked at her other kittens. “Are you too old to hug your mother now?” She teased.

“I’ll never be too old!” Lori sang as she rushed forward almost knocking both of them over. 

Luke rolled his eyes, but hugged her as well. It was a sweet moment that was interrupted as Gio exited his room. Everyone looked over and there was a tense silence as he ignored them and walked into the kitchen.

“Oh my, he seems even more surly than usual,” Talon released the hug and tilted her head as she watched Gio silently make himself some breakfast. 

“Don’t worry about him, he’s just upset, because Luke grounded him,” Lori informed her.

“On what grounds?” Talon asked.

Lori: “These grounds,”

Talon: “No, I mean, why?”

Lori: “Oh, because he was with a human,”

“A human?” Talon’s eyes widened.

“Don’t worry, she was blind so she couldn’t tell he was a mutant,” Lori reassured her.

“Oh, well. That’s good, then.” Talon sighed with relief, although Lori could tell she was still agitated by the thinning of her feathers.

“Yeah, don’t worry so much. Come on, I’m sure you’re tired from flying all night,” Lori began to lead her to her room.

“Oh, but first let me put away the groceries,” The cats suddenly noticed that Talon had many bags of food with her. “It still surprises me what people will throw out in this town. Come help me with these,”

The cats all gathered around her and took bags and began putting things away long after Gio had snuck away to go back to his room to be alone.

“What does he do in there all day?” Tony once asked as he watched Gio’s door. Behind it, sounds of machinery could often be heard.

“Oh, you know how he is. He’s always inventing something new to help us out on our adventures,” Lori told him. “Maybe one day, he’ll invent something to counteract his bad luck,”

“Bad luck?” Tony turned to look at her, curiously.

“Don’t you know that black cats are bad luck?” 

“They are?”

“Oh, yeah. That’s why bad things always happen whenever Gio is around, but don’t worry, whatever the world throws at us, we can handle.” 

“Hm,” Tony turned back to stare at Gio’s door, but it never opened during the day, except for the rare instances when Gio remembered to eat real food, besides the sweets and snack foods he kept in his room.

Lori sighed as she patted Tony on the head, “Come on, let’s make something to eat, before it all goes bad,”

“Ok,” he gave Gio’s door one last forlorn look before he allowed Lori to pick him up and carry him into the kitchen.

Later that day Talon had gathered her kittens into the training room of their little home that was hidden from the rest of the world.

“Alright, children, it’s time to see how well you’ve been practicing,” she said as she stood in front of them and bowed. They all bowed in return and took on a fighting stance right before they rushed to attack her, but she managed to block every strike and hit that came her way. She made dodging their attacks look effortless. Gio attempted to surprise her with a sneak attack from behind, but she ducked just as Luke was attacking her from the front and they both collided into each other and collapsed.  
Once they were all defeated, Talon dusted her wings and said, “I must say you’re all improving greatly, but you still need more training before you can take on any real foes. Your greatest weakness is that none of you know how to work as a team, yet.”

“How do you know so much about fighting?” Tony had once asked during training.

Talon: “I had a bit of a rough childhood growing up, but thanks to an amazing mentor, I learned how to defend myself from bullies and that’s why I’m teaching you. So you don’t get hurt as often as I did.”

“Don’t worry, Tony, if anyone tries to hurt you, I’ll protect you!” Luke had told him at the time, then he turned to his other siblings, “I’ll protect all of you.”

“Yes, but what if we’re the ones attacking you?” Gio smiled as he shared a look with his sister.

“What?” was all Luke could say before all three siblings had tackled him and they all fell into a pile giggling. That was years ago, though. Now they could barely look at each other as they trained. Gio wiped the dirt off his face as he stood up and began to leave the room.

Tony was the first to notice his leaving. “Oh, wait! Gio, Gio!” 

Gio stopped and turned around to see Tony running up to him, excitedly. He seemed to look down at him as if to say, “What do you want?”

“Don’t tell the others, but I made you something, because you’re my favorite brother!” Tony told him as he fished a green and red bracelet out of his pocket. Each green bead was in the shape of a four leaf clover and each red bead was a Chinese lantern, “Mom told me that four leaf clovers and red lanterns were good luck, so maybe this will bring you good luck!”

Gio hesitated, “I’m not really much of a jewelry person.”

Tony looked disappointed, “Oh, alright, you don’t have to wear it,”

Gio quickly grabbed the bracelet, “No, I’m wearing it forever and no one can stop me,”

Tony’s face lit up, “Will you let me know if it brings you any good luck?”

Gio smiled, “Of course, I already feel luckier,”

As they’re walking towards the kitchen Tony hopped onto a stool excitedly, “If you feel so lucky, will you make me your famous pancakes?”

Gio sighed, “Why haven’t you eaten yet? You expect me to cook for you, you brat?" but even as he was complaining, he was already getting out ingredients, while Tony simply watched him with a smile on his face and his tail swaying back and forth, happily.

A few hours later, the cats could see that it was starting to get dark outside, which meant that it was time for them to explore. As Talon had once said, “If you plan on leaving the house for any reason, go at night. That’s when it’s the safest for creatures like us, because it’s more difficult for humans to see us,”

Gio was on the couch, reading when Lori decided she wanted to do some late night shopping, meaning she was going to inspect abandoned thrift stores. “Since you’re under house arrest, do you want me to bring you anything from the outside world?”

Gio thought for a moment, then turned to look at her, “No, but you can do me a favor,” Lori looked at him suspiciously.

~

After a bit of exploring, Luke returned with some fresh fish that he may or may not have stolen from a lake, but no one needed to know that. When he returned he saw Gio reading on the couch and Talon showing Tony how to knit.

After putting the fish away, Luke asked, somewhat unsure of himself, “Can I have a moment alone with Gio?”

“Oh, sure thing. Come along, my son,” Talon said as she gently led Tony out of the room. He whined, but complied.

Luke sighed, as he steeled his nerves, but Gio didn’t seem bothered enough to look up from his book. “Look, I’m sorry if I seemed a bit—harsh.” He began, “It’s just that Talon has warned us multiple times about going out on our own and interacting with humans and how dangerous they can be, but that doesn’t mean that I should yell at you.” As he was talking, he began pacing nervously, “you knew what you were doing and you are the smart one, so I should put more trust in you. It’s just that since I’m the oldest, I feel like I have to take control and that I’m responsible for everyone’s safety, but I’m not. You’re your own cat and I have to rely on you to take care of yourself.” He stopped behind Gio, “Just know that I care about you and don’t want anything to happen to you, ok?” Luke finished his speech by patting Gio on the head, but when he drew his hand away, he saw black specks on his hand. Confused, he walked around the couch until he was facing the black cat and swiped his hand across his face only to find more black smeared all over his hand and one green and one blue eye staring back at him. “Lori?”

“H-hi,” she said meekly and smiled.

Luke growled, “Where’s Gio?”


	3. August

“Luke can’t tell me what to do, he’s not the boss of me.” Gio fumed as he hopped from one rooftop to the next. “So what if I helped a human, it’s not like she’ll ever find—“ he stopped and almost slammed into the next building as he noticed a very familiar face walking around the area. “August?”

Sure enough, the young girl was seen wandering around with a plastic bin in her hands. Curiosity getting the better of him, he made sure no one else was around before he approached her.

“I wonder if he’s here…” she said aloud, to no one in particular.

“Who’s here?” Gio asked and August jumped, nearly dropping her bin in shock.

“Gio!” She said, happily. “Don’t scare me like that! I almost had a heart attack!”

He wouldn’t have admitted it, if you asked him, but he smiled at how excited she seemed to hear him again. “What’s in the bin?” He asked, looking down at the container in her hands.

“Oh, I made you cookies to thank you for rescuing me,”

“You bake?”

“Just a little, but um, here! I hope you like them,” she held out the bin and Gio gently lifted the lid and sniffed the contents.

“Hm, oatmeal,”

“Yeah, I wasn’t sure if you liked sweets or things like chocolate or raisins, so I went with the safe option,”

“No, no. You did good, chocolate or raisins aren’t good for me,”

“Oh, good! I mean, not the allergy thing, but I’m glad I was able to make something you’d like,”

Gio’s face fell as he suddenly remembered that he was speaking to a human and not someone who wouldn’t be afraid of him, if they could see what he really looked like. “You really shouldn’t have done this,”

“But I wanted to, afterall, it’s not often that I make new friends. People tend to avoid me, because of the whole blind thing,”

“Really?” He was genuinely shocked.

“Yeah, some people see it as a hassle to deal with, but don’t worry, I’m used to it. Now are you going to help me eat these cookies or what?”

Gio looked around and saw that no one else was nearby, but he didn’t want to risk being out in the open for too long. “Let’s go back to your place,”

A few minutes later, August and Gio were enjoying cookies on her couch as they listened to the staticky music of the radio next door.

“So, why don’t you get along with your older brother?” August asked, continuing a conversation that had been going on since they started walking.

“Sorry, but that’s sensitive information. You have to be a level twenty-five friend to unlock that info and unfortunately you’re still at level one,”

“Hey, I gave you cookies,”

“Ok, fine, level two,” he said as he bit into his fifth cookie. Gio knew that interacting with August for too long was dangerous, but this was the first time he had ever talked to anyone outside of his family, and he actually liked her company. Even he was amazed by that last fact. Although he was happy to meet someone that he felt he had a connection with, he knew that it couldn’t last long since she was human and he was just a mutant. I’ve got to do something about this, fast. He thought.

Suddenly, he heard a tapping at one of the windows.

“What was that?” August asked. Gio looked up and saw Luke and Lori staring at him from behind the glass. He grimaced. Luke was glaring while Lori looked sheepishly apologetic.

Gio: “It’s uh… my older brother and sister,”

August: “Luke and Lori? What are they doing here?”

“Hang on, I’ll ask them,” Gio went up to open the window and Luke pushed him aside as he entered.

Luke: “What were you thinking? Sneaking out like that? Do you have any idea how much trouble you’re in?”

Gio: “Luke, Lori, this is my friend August. August, this is my older brother and sister,”

August: “Wow, he sounds just like you described him,”

Lori leaned down to meet August’s eyes. She waved a hand in front of her face and whistled in amazement. “Gio wasn’t kidding, she really is blind,”

“Hey, I’m right here,” August reached out to touch Lori, but Lori quickly backed away and ended up falling backwards over an ottoman. 

“Careful,” Gio warned, rather halfheartedly. Luke glared at him and Gio tried to look anywhere else.

“We’re going home. Now.” Luke said, grabbing Gio by the arm.

He winced, “Ow, you’re hurting me,”

“Talon is going to do a lot worse when she finds out you snuck out just to see…” Luke glanced at August then leaned in to whisper, “a human,”

“She’s different though,” Gio tried to escape Luke’s grip, but it only tightened.

“What? Just because she’s blind? If she found out what you really were, do you think she’d be so friendly?”

“Hey,” August suddenly stood up and Lori, now standing, stepped back to avoid touching her. “I don’t know what kind of gang you’re in, but I don’t care. As long as you haven’t hurt anyone, I don’t think you’re a bad guy,”

Luke looked at Gio, “She thinks you’re in a gang?”

“Well, that was the only way I could think of to explain this whole situation,” Gio said, gesturing to his face.

“We’re not in a gang, sweetie,” Lori tried explaining to her. “We’re just uh… different.”

“I know what it’s like to be different,” August said, somewhat sadly.

Luke looked between her and Gio, and when he saw how Gio looked at her with—not pity, what was it? Sympathy? Empathy? Gio knew how she felt and Luke suddenly felt like a bad brother. Was he doing the right thing or was he keeping Gio from the first friend he’s ever had? Luke let go and Gio looked at him in surprise. “Gio, I—“ Luke began, but then there was a knock at the door.

“Who could that be?” August wondered aloud, “my parents should still be on their vacation.” When the mysterious person knocked again, August asked, “Who is it?” No answer. “Hm, can one of you check to see who it is?”

“Sure,” Gio, who was closest to the door, looked through the peephole and saw a couple of tall men in black suits. “I don’t think those are August’s classmates,” 

Lori pushed him aside to take a look, “Maybe they’re her teachers?”

Luke: “Why would her teachers visit her at home instead of calling?”

More pounding on the door.

“Maybe I should just see what they want,” August approached the door, but Gio held her back.

Gio: “Trust me, they don’t look friendly,”

The pounding got so loud that the others were beginning to fear that the door would split in two. 

“Quickly, hide!” Luke ordered and Lori and Gio ran under the nearest cover, while August hesitantly answered the door.

“Hello? How can I help you?” She did her best to smile, although she was somewhat afraid of whoever or whatever was so dedicated to get her attention.

“Good evening,” one of them spoke in a deep, raspy voice, “we have been going door to door, asking if you’ve seen or heard any suspicious activity in the area lately?”

August feigned innocence, “Well, I haven’t seen anything since I was seven, but heard anything? Maybe, what would you consider suspicious?” 

“Do you mind if we search your apartment?” The other asked, his voice was higher pitched, but more airy sounding.

August: “Now that sounds suspicious. Do you have a warrant?” 

“Even if we did, would you be able to read it?”

“Well, no, but I—“

“Ma’am, it is of the utmost importance that you cooperate with us,”

“I have the right to refuse service to anyone,” August teased, but was pushed aside for her impudence.

Gio hissed in the dark, but Lori kept him from jumping out and straight up attacking the men as they began searching her apartment.

“I don’t know what you’re looking for, but trust me, you won’t find anything here,” August assured them.

The men looked at each other and then turned to August, “Ma’am, we’re going to need you to come with us,”

August blinked, “What?”

Gio blinked at the same time, “What?”

They moved towards her and as August sensed them coming closer, she began backing up. Gio couldn’t take it anymore, he slipped out of Lori’s grasp and lunged at one of the men. He howled as Gio dug his claws into his face.

“What the—“ the other turned around and attempted to help, but Luke and Lori shot out of their hiding places to attack him as well. Lori bit him on the leg and he hit his head on the doorframe, he was so tall, and he immediately fell like a log. Luke jumped off of him and onto the man Gio was attacking. 

In the chaos, August felt around the wall and grabbed the first thing that came into contact with her hand.

The man grabbed the back of Gio’s neck and hoodie and threw him off, right before he swatted Luke away with his arm, which felt like a steel beam. He turned his lacerated face towards Lori who stuck her tongue out at him and when he moved to strangle her, she ducked just as August came from behind her and struck him with a croquet mallet. Like his associate, he fell hard and loud. 

Lori laughed, “Ooh, I like this one,” she said, pointing a thumb at August.

Luke took a moment to assess the situation when his ears perked up at the sound of rumbling. It was footsteps. Heavy footsteps of several men, probably much like the two that had just attacked them. “There’s more coming! We need to run,”


	4. Vinny

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A new challenger arrives!

August, Luke, Lori and Gio all ran out the back window and through the fire escape leading into the nearby alleyway. The whole time, Gio held tightly onto August’s hand. From there, they ran through town and towards their home.

Even though Luke heard multiple men chasing after them, only three seemed to find them. Afraid of leading them to the hideout and causing too much noise in a public area, Luke decided to direct them to the forest. 

“This way!” Luke called out and waved his siblings towards the trees. They all followed and soon enough they stopped in a clearing away from prying eyes. “Stay behind me,” Luke told August as he put a protective arm in front of her.

Overhead Talon could be seen flying in the sky, with Tony on her back.

“Hey, is that them?” Tony pointed over her shoulder.

“Oh no, they’re in trouble,” Talon nosedived as Tony clutched to her back feathers. Just as the three men were inching closer, Talon picked one of them up off the ground as if he were a mouse and dropped him off at a nearby river that dragged him away in its strong current.

“Talon!” Luke shouted as she landed in front of them, “How did you find us?”

Tony hopped off her back, “We were getting worried when you didn’t come home, so we came to look for you. It’s a good thing that we were flying overhead or who knows what would have happened?”

“Stay away from my kids!” Talon screeched.

“Do you know these guys?” Gio asked.

“They’re probably from the A.M.,” she told him.

“The what?” Lori shouted.

“I’ll explain later,” Talon said as she rushed forward and kicked one man in the chest and swiped the other with a wing. One fell into the bushes and the other hit a tree, knocking him out.

“That was amazing!” Lori cheered.

Once the danger was cleared, Tony ran over to August, excited to meet a human for the first time. “Hi, I’m Tony! Nice to meet you!”

“Oh, hey Tony, I’m August,”

“So you’re August,” Talon approached the girl.

“Yeah, I’m really sorry for all of the trouble I’ve caused, but I have to praise your kids for doing such a great job protecting me. You’ve really raised them well!”

“Yes, well, it wasn’t easy, but I did my best,”

“It is nice to meet you as well. I’ve heard so much about you, from Gio.” August held her hand out, but Talon glanced at her wings.

“I’m terribly sorry, but I don’t do handshakes,”

“Oh, it’s cool. I know a guy who’s a bit of a germaphobe too,”

“It’s not that—I mean I,” Talon sighed, “never mind. Now that, that’s settled, why don’t we go home and—“ a thunk was heard as Talon fell to the ground and behind her stood a figure in a black mask with a cane held high.

“What the—“ Gio almost swore as the figure jumped between him and August. They faltered on their left leg a bit, but quickly stood and raised their cane, threateningly.

“Stay back!” They shouted, grabbing August around the waist.

“H-hey, let me go!” August struggled, but they were much stronger than her.

“What are your names?” The stranger asked.

“Don’t tell them, Luke!” Lori shouted and Luke glared at her, “Shoot!”

“Way to go, Lori.” Luke said and Gio smacked his forehead, “Crap!”

“Which one of you is the leader?” They asked and the cats all pointed at Luke. “Wait, really?”

Luke looked offended, “Why is that so hard to believe?”

“Wait! Don’t hurt them! They’re my friends!” August shouted.

“Friends? You’re friends with some mutant cats?”

“I didn’t know they were mutants until just now, but that doesn’t change the fact that they’re good, no matter what they look like.”

“Are you insane?”

“They helped me once, they’re not at all like the other mutants running around New York,”

“Other mutants?” Tony looked at Lori who looked at him and shrugged her shoulders.

The stranger let August go and Gio grabbed her by the hand and pulled her towards him. “You’re ok, I’m here,” Gio told her.

The stranger pulled their mask off, revealing a pretty face with long black hair.

“Whoa,” Luke was stunned.

“How am I supposed to believe you? What if you used your mutant powers to hypnotize this poor innocent girl?”

“We’re mutant cats, not whatever you think we are,” Gio glared at them.

August made a face, “You sound familiar when you’re not shouting, do I know you?”

“We’ve never met, I just saw you running from these mutants and thought you needed help, but I guess you were running with them. Who was chasing you?”

“Mom said they were from the A.M., whatever that means. She probably would have explained if you hadn’t knocked her out,” Gio glanced at Talon still face down in the grass.

“My bad,” the stranger seemed genuinely apologetic.

“Hey, great leader, help me carry Mom to the hideout,” Lori elbowed Luke and he shook his head, still in a bit of a daze.

“O-oh yeah, ok,” 

As they walked home, Tony noticed the stranger was limping as they walked. “What happened to your leg?”

“Nothing, it was just an accident,” 

“Why aren’t you using your cane?” Tony asked, innocent as ever.

“It’s kind of useless on this uneven ground. It’d just sink in the mud,”

“How’d you learn how to fight?”

“You sure ask a lot of questions,”

“It’s part of his inquisitive nature,” Lori informed them as she supported Talon’s legs, while Luke carried her head. Her wings dragged on ground.

“So…” Luke glanced at the stranger, “since we're not fighting anymore, can I get your name and number?”

“Are you seriously flirting right now?” Gio stared at him in shock.

“Cane? Limp?” August was thinking aloud, then she snapped her fingers, “I remember now! You’re Vinny! You used to go to my school until you were kicked out,”

“I didn’t get kicked out, I dropped out,” Vinny explained. “I’m seventeen, so legally, they can’t force me to go anymore,”

August nodded, “Right, right. You were the one that started a fire in the boys’ bathroom,”  
Luke blinked, “You’re a boy?”

“Yeah, but don’t let that stop you,” Vinny winked.

Luke swore in Mandarin.

“What was that?” August asked, tugging on Gio’s sleeve.

“What? Mandarin? Oh, it’s our first language. Mom used to speak Mandarin to us, until she decided it was better for us to learn English since we were living in America,” Gio explained.

“Your first language is Mandarin? That’s awesome!” She pulled on Luke’s shirt, “so do you think in Mandarin or in English?”

Gio laughed, “Bold of you to assume he thinks at all,”

Luke glared at him, “We still need to talk about you sneaking out, Gio.”

Gio gulped, play dumb, he thought, “Who’s Gio?” Not that dumb! 

They continued walking until Luke heard some people passing by.

“Hold up,” Luke stopped and Gio pulled August behind him.

August: “Probably just some drunk teenagers,”

Luke: “We can’t take any risks, let’s hide out here until we know it’s safe,”

Lori: “When will we know it’s safe?”

Luke: “Right about…” he paused just until he could no longer see the drunkards, “now!” He signaled and they continued. It wasn’t until they were outside their home, that they stopped to rest again.

“We should be safe for now, no one comes all the way out here anymore.” Luke said as he and Lori gently set Talon down on the ground.

Gio: “Not unless they want to get kidnapped or murdered,” August’s face paled. “Kidding! I was kidding! Mostly…”

August: “I’m so sorry I got you all into this mess, I don’t even know why this is all happening,”

Gio: “I don’t know who those guys were, but they can’t hang out at your apartment forever. I think it’s best if you stay with us in the meantime,”

“Uh, family meeting,” Luke pulled Gio and Lori off to the side, away from August. “Are you insane? How long do you think she can stay with us? What about her family? Her friends? Her classmates?”

Gio: “I’m not saying she stay with us forever, just until those goons leave her alone,”

Luke: “We have no idea how long that’ll take, she has to go back home soon or else people will start wondering where she is, like her parents or her teachers,”

“Actually,” August raised her hand, “my parents are away on a vacation to Washington right now, so I’m home alone for at least a week,”

Gio: “See? Nothing to worry about,”

“You can stay with me,” Vinny said.

“What!?” Luke and Gio both shouted at once.

“Yeah, I’m just some kid from Brooklyn, there’s no way they’d come looking for her at my place,”

Gio: “I’m sorry, but I’m not just gonna let my friend stay at some stranger’s place,”

“Why? What makes you think she’s any safer here? If those creeps end up finding her here, not only is she in danger, but so are you guys if they discover your hideout. If she stays with me, at least your guys’ home will still remain unknown to the bad guys,”

“He has a point,” Lori stated.

“Besides, my parents aren’t the type to ask why I have a pretty girl over at my house,” Was he flirting with her?

August blushed, “Oh, sorry, I’m a lesbian,”

Tony: “I thought you were American,”

Lori: “She means she’s gay, Tony,”

Tony: “Oh! I heard that one in every four people is gay,”

Lori glanced at her brothers and whispered, “Does he not know that we’re all gay?”

Gio: “Speak for yourself,”

Luke: “I hope it’s Vinny, cause he’s cute,”

Gio: “Never mind,”

Lori: “Did you really think that Luke was straight?”

Gio: “No, I just thought he was too stupid to tell genders apart,”

Luke: “I’m right here!”


	5. The A.M.

“Ow, my head,” Talon groaned as she opened her eyes.  
“Oh good, you’re awake. I was beginning to worry,” Lori leaned over her.  
“Where am I?”  
“The hideout, living room couch,” Tony informed her. He peered at her from the other end of the couch.  
“What happened? I remember we were fighting the A.M. and then, nothing,”  
“You beat them, but then Vinny knocked you out,” Luke told her.  
“Who’s Vinny?” Talon felt even more confused.  
“A new friend!” Tony cheered.  
“A human friend,” Gio added.  
“Human? Another one?” Talon sat up now. “How many are there now?”  
“Just the two,” Lori told her, “but don’t worry, they’re very trustworthy,”  
“Well, we know that August is. She knows that we’re mutants now, but she doesn’t seem to care,” Luke explained. “Vinny is a little—weird, but he doesn’t seem like he’d do anything to hurt us,”  
“I still don’t trust him,” Gio crossed his arms.  
“We kind of have to, since August is staying with him at the moment,” Lori reminded him, “he’ll walk her to and from school like a bodyguard,”  
Talon looked around, “Where are they now?”  
Luke: “At Vinny’s, they’re going to stop by here tomorrow night and then we’re going to see if those guys are still at her place. If not, she gave us a list of things to pick up for her,”  
“Who were those guys?” Gio spoke suddenly.  
Talon sighed, “I suspect they were from the A.M.”  
Gio: “Yeah, you’ve mentioned them before, who are they?”  
Talon: “they’re a shady organization that I was once with,”  
Lori gasped, “You were with those scary guys?”  
Talon: “Not willingly, I was a test subject. They experimented on me for days, and when I couldn’t take it anymore, I plotted my escape. The day of my plan, though, there was an explosion and a strange gas was emitted throughout the building. I escaped, but not without getting mutated by the strange gas. It took a few days, but it began to change me and eventually I became like this,”  
Lori: “How did you survive on your own for so long?”  
Talon: “It was not easy, but I wasn’t alone. I had the help of friends and family, who provided a safe escape as well as food and supplies when needed.”  
Lori: “I know you’ve told us the story before, but how exactly did you end up raising us?”  
Talon sighed, “after I settled into a new place, I began looking around the ruins of the old A.M. building and somehow, I found Luke. I’ll be honest, when I first found you, I thought you were just a little kitten that needed a home, but even when you began getting bigger, I didn’t have the heart to give you away. The gas had began transforming him as well, so I suspected that someone had abandoned him there out of fear of what he was or what he was becoming. After that, I made it my mission to find other children like him and raise them as my own. After I found Luke, I found Lori and then Tony and finally, Gio. Sometimes I would hear about mutants or monsters terrorizing citizens and I didn’t want you exposed to that, so I made sure you never heard about it,”  
Luke: “You knew that there were other mutants out there and you didn’t tell us?”  
Talon: “I was afraid that you would go out seeking other mutants and put yourselves in danger. Not every mutant out there is as friendly as we are,”  
Lori: “you mean there are mutants out there that are meaner than Gio?”  
“Hey,” Gio fumed.  
Talon lifted a wing and below it, on her side, was a deep cut. “I got this scar trying to rescue a mutated child that did not want my help. I feared that other mutants would be dangerous like her, so I stopped trying to help others to protect the ones I had already saved,”  
Gio: “Well, now that we know about other mutants, we’re going to go out and see for ourselves whether or not they’re dangerous,”  
Luke: “Do you think the other mutants are just kids that were exposed to the gas from the A.M. like you and us?”  
Talon: “I suppose it’s possible, but now that they know that we exist, we have to be even more careful about going out,”  
Luke: “from now on, we’ll always travel in groups of two or more. No going out until nightfall and you must be back before sunrise.”  
Tony: “Aw man, I’m never going to be able to go out on my own,”  
Talon patted him on the head with a wing, “Maybe when you’re a bit older and the danger has passed,”  
Lori: “Who knows, maybe mutants will be normal by then,”  
Luke: “For now, let’s get some rest and prepare for tomorrow,”  
The next day around 4:30pm, there was a knock at the door and Gio was the first to check to see.  
“It’s Vinny and August!” He called out as he opened the door.  
“August!” Tony cheered and ran up to hug her.  
“Oof,” she laughed as he collided into her, “it's good to see you again too, figuratively see I mean,”  
Gio closed the door as he whispered to Vinny, “You’re sure you weren’t followed?”  
Vinny scoffed, “You doubt me?” Gio gave him a look and Vinny rolled his eyes. “I made sure to take the long way around, just in case. If anyone was following us, we most likely lost them on the subway. It was packed!”  
“How was school?” Lori asked, walking in from the kitchen.  
“Boring as usual, but I just couldn’t stop thinking about what happened last night! Who were those guys? What do they want from you? And where are they coming from?” August rambled and Gio had to stop her, before she could go on.  
Gio: “Our mom explained everything, let’s sit down and talk,”  
The cats led her to the couch where they told her everything that their mom had told them and August sat in shock the whole time.  
August: “I can’t believe they would do that! That’s so—“  
Gio: “Comic book villain-esque? Yeah, that’s what we thought,”  
Luke: “But the fact that you guys have heard or seen of other mutants means that we weren’t the only ones to survive the explosion,”  
“When and where was the last place there was a mutant sighting?” Gio asked.  
August tapped her chin to remember, “Just last week, a hiker reported seeing a mutant near the mountains. But what are you going to do if you find them?”  
“We know that the A.M. are searching for mutants to capture and experiment on, so we’re going to find them first and bring them to a safe place where they won’t be harmed.” Luke explained.  
Gio: “We’ll bring them back here for now, but only until we can find a safe location for them to hide out in,”  
August: “That sounds like a shaky plan at best,”  
Luke: “Well, it’s the only plan we have for now, so we’ll split into teams and begins searching the mountains. Vinny, Lori and I will search where the last sighting was, while Gio, Tony and August look at past sightings,”  
Lori: “Roger that, Captain,”  
Vinny: “Hey, Gio, we should stay in touch while we’re out. What's your number?”  
“I don't have a phone,” Gio said as he visibly texted.  
August: “I do, my number is…”  
Vinny: “You can use a phone?”  
August: “Of course I can use a phone! I’m blind, not stupid,”  
Vinny: “Right, sorry. What were you saying?”  
~  
Luke looked around the dense forest area. “August said it was somewhere around here was the last sighting.” He said as he took out his phone to check the gps.  
Vinny: “I don’t see any signs of it,”  
“Maybe the hiker saw Bigfoot or something,” Lori checked the horizon for any signs, but saw nothing.  
“Hey!” They suddenly heard a voice and a bright flashlight broke through the darkness. It was two policemen walking towards them.  
“What are you kids doing out here so late?” One policeman asked.  
Luke pulled his hat lower, while Lori wrapped her scarf tighter around her face. Vinny tried to play it cool, by walking up to them, confidently and saying, “I’m taking these guys on a vision quest. It’s a very important and sacred tradition so it’s best that people like you don’t get in the way.”  
The police looked at each other shrugged and tipped their hats, saying, “We’ll he on our way. You kids stay safe and have a good night,”  
Vinny: “You too, Mr. and Mrs. Police officer,”  
“Great job, Vinny,” Luke complimented.  
“Let’s go up the mountain to get a higher vantage point,” Lori suggested and they began trekking towards the top.  
While looking, the trio stumble upon a cave filled with old clothing and empty cans that once contained food like beans and fruit.  
Luke inspected the cave, “Someone must have been living here for quite some time,”  
Lori: “Well, whoever they were, they’re gone now,”  
Vinny: “They were here recently though, this blanket is still warm,”  
Suddenly they heard a commotion, the sound of someone dropping a pile of wood at the cave entrance. They all turned to look, only to see the last remnants of a tail disappearing from the cave’s opening.  
Luke: “That must be the mutant! After them!”  
All three began chasing the figure, but in the dark and dense forest it was easy to lose them. Lori was able to pick up the sound of their retreating footsteps and followed them to the edge of the forest, but from there the trail went cold.  
Lori: “It’s like they just disappeared,”  
Luke: “Let’s regroup at the hideout and try again tomorrow night,”  
~  
After Luke and the others come back.  
Gio: “I’m guessing the mission was a failure?”  
Luke glared at him, but Lori nodded.  
Vinny: “The little devil was just too slippery. It’s no wonder that the A.M. hasn’t caught this one yet,”  
Gio: “Looks like you guys could use some help. Luckily for you I’ve invented a high tech flying camera device using an old remote controlled helicopter and a baby monitor,”  
Vinny: “so basically you made a makeshift drone,”  
Gio: “a what?”  
Tony: “a drone? Like from Star Wars?”  
Vinny: “What? No, I mean, it’s an expensive toy used by youtubers, anyway, you think this will help us?”  
Gio: “of course, I will be your eye in the sky, just as soon as I test it out,”  
Gio started the device up and it began flying high into the sky, but after it reached a few feet, it visibly began to malfunction and as Gio started to panic, it whizzed and flew into a tree.  
Vinny stared at the tree and crossed his arms. “Do you take constructive criticism?” He asked.  
Gio: “No,”


End file.
